Windsor St. Clair Saints
Encyclopedia
The Windsor St. Clair Saints were a Senior "AAA"
ice hockey
team based in St. Clair College
in Windsor
, Ontario
, Canada
. They joined the Ontario Hockey Association
's Major League Hockey
in 2006, only to leave in 2008.
of the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association
.
The Saints dominated the OCAA early, winning its first three championships in 1968, 1969, and 1970.
In 1972, the beginnings of a Saints OCAA dynasty was born. The Saints won the 1973 championship. Then in 1975, they won again. In 1976, they won for the third time in four years and then went on to Camrose, Alberta
to defeat Selkirk College
and win the CCAA National Championship. In 1977, the Saints won the OCAA again and as well in 1979. In seven seasons, the St. Clair Saints won five OCAA championships and a CCAA National Championship. In this span, the Saints also won a national silver medal and two national bronze medals. It seems that the Saints went on hiatus for much of the next two decades.
In 2001, the Saints were back on the ice full time. In 2002 and 2003, the Saints were again OCAA champions, beating Humber College
both times, after more than a two decade gap. In 2001, the CCAA announced that there was not enough national interest in national championships anymore, so neither the 2002 or 2003 teams had the opportunity at earning another national championship for St. Clair College. After finishing in first place for the third straight year, the Saints were almost upset by Sir Sandford Fleming College in the semi-final and then were beaten in two straight games by Humber in the final. After losing game one 6-3, the Saints battled hard in game two. With leading scorer Pavel Shtefan out of the lineup, the Saints battled into double overtime to lose on a Humber goal 5:11 into the fifth frame. The Saints were baffled by the Humber goaltender as he stopped 79 of 80 shots to win the game. This would be the Saints final OCAA game.
In 2004, the OCAA announced that is was folding due to lack of interest from competitive colleges. The Saints spent the 2004-05 and 2005-06 campaigns playing an independent exhibition schedule against American
and Canadian collegiate and senior clubs.
In 2006, the Windsor St. Clair Saints were allowed expansion into the Ontario Hockey Association
's Major League Hockey
. Now playing at the Senior AAA level, the Saints were eligible to compete for the Allan Cup
.
Despite being the only collegiate team in the 5-team MLH (the other four are club teams), the Saints finished first overall in the 2006-07 regular season. In the league semi-finals, the Saints defeated the Tillsonburg Vipers
4-games-to-2. In the league final, the Saints came apart and were swept by the Brantford Blast
4-games-to-none.
The 2007-08 Season had them again as the only collegiate team in the MLH. With a record of 16 wins, 12 losses, and 2 ties, the Saints were in the hunt for a second regular season crown, but fell short finishing in a close third place. Their first round opponents in the league semi-finals were the Brantford Blast
. Brantford had stacked their line up with former NHLers at the end of the season, including Brent Gretzky
, in preparation to host the 100th Allan Cup
this year. Despite the Saints badly outshooting the Blast in every game of the series, the Saints were defeated 4-games-to-none.
On April 21, 2008, it was announced through the Windsor Star
that the Saints were to cease operations. As the only college team in the league, the Saints felt the MLH was not a good fit. The Saints operated through signing students from their college to play, while other teams could trade and pursue free agents. The Saints may eventually apply for entry into the National Collegiate Athletic Association
. http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=94ac36b7-0612-4a09-af82-112818d0117e
Senior ice hockey
Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition for players too old to play junior ice hockey. The top senior amateur teams in Canadian leagues compete annually for the Allan Cup....
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team based in St. Clair College
St. Clair College
St. Clair College of Applied Arts and Technology is a college in the Southwestern Ontario counties of Essex and Chatham-Kent.-Campus:Its main administration and largest campus sites are in Windsor, Canada. In addition, other campuses are located in Chatham and Wallaceburg. In 2007, St...
in Windsor
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. They joined the Ontario Hockey Association
Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
's Major League Hockey
Major League Hockey
Allan Cup Hockey is the top tier Canadian Senior ice hockey league in the province of Ontario. As a member of the Ontario Hockey Association and Hockey Canada, the league contends for the famed Allan Cup. The league came to its latest incarnation when it lost several teams leaving it with two...
in 2006, only to leave in 2008.
History
The St. Clair Saints hockey club first emerged in 1967 as a member of the Ontario Colleges Athletic AssociationOntario Colleges Athletic Association
The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association is the governing body of all intercollegiate sports in the Canadian province of Ontario. The OCAA is a part of the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association...
of the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association
Canadian Colleges Athletic Association
The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association is the national governing body for organized sports at colleges in Canada. It was formed in 1974. The CCAA hosts nine annual national championships. The CCAA's name in French is l'Association canadienne du sport collégial .Its equivalent body for...
.
The Saints dominated the OCAA early, winning its first three championships in 1968, 1969, and 1970.
In 1972, the beginnings of a Saints OCAA dynasty was born. The Saints won the 1973 championship. Then in 1975, they won again. In 1976, they won for the third time in four years and then went on to Camrose, Alberta
Camrose, Alberta
Camrose is a city in central Alberta, Canada, amid some of the richest farmland in the prairies. It is a relatively small city which originally grew up along a railroad and now grows along Highway 13. Camrose is a scenic community with many parks, leading to its moniker "The Rose City"...
to defeat Selkirk College
Selkirk College
Selkirk College, founded in 1966, was the first regional community college in British Columbia. The college offers over 60 programs. Selkirk has grown into one of the largest organizations in the West Kootenay and Boundary regions of south eastern British Columbia...
and win the CCAA National Championship. In 1977, the Saints won the OCAA again and as well in 1979. In seven seasons, the St. Clair Saints won five OCAA championships and a CCAA National Championship. In this span, the Saints also won a national silver medal and two national bronze medals. It seems that the Saints went on hiatus for much of the next two decades.
Humber College
Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning is a polytechnic college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Humber offers more than 150 programs including: bachelor’s degree, diploma, certificate, post-graduate certificate and apprenticeship programs, across 40 fields of study. Humber serves...
both times, after more than a two decade gap. In 2001, the CCAA announced that there was not enough national interest in national championships anymore, so neither the 2002 or 2003 teams had the opportunity at earning another national championship for St. Clair College. After finishing in first place for the third straight year, the Saints were almost upset by Sir Sandford Fleming College in the semi-final and then were beaten in two straight games by Humber in the final. After losing game one 6-3, the Saints battled hard in game two. With leading scorer Pavel Shtefan out of the lineup, the Saints battled into double overtime to lose on a Humber goal 5:11 into the fifth frame. The Saints were baffled by the Humber goaltender as he stopped 79 of 80 shots to win the game. This would be the Saints final OCAA game.
In 2004, the OCAA announced that is was folding due to lack of interest from competitive colleges. The Saints spent the 2004-05 and 2005-06 campaigns playing an independent exhibition schedule against American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canadian collegiate and senior clubs.
In 2006, the Windsor St. Clair Saints were allowed expansion into the Ontario Hockey Association
Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
's Major League Hockey
Major League Hockey
Allan Cup Hockey is the top tier Canadian Senior ice hockey league in the province of Ontario. As a member of the Ontario Hockey Association and Hockey Canada, the league contends for the famed Allan Cup. The league came to its latest incarnation when it lost several teams leaving it with two...
. Now playing at the Senior AAA level, the Saints were eligible to compete for the Allan Cup
Allan Cup
The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men’s ice hockey champions of Canada. It has been competed for since 1909. The current champion is the Clarenville Caribous hockey club of Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:...
.
Despite being the only collegiate team in the 5-team MLH (the other four are club teams), the Saints finished first overall in the 2006-07 regular season. In the league semi-finals, the Saints defeated the Tillsonburg Vipers
Tillsonburg Vipers
The Tillsonburg Thunder are a Senior ice hockey team based in Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League.-History:...
4-games-to-2. In the league final, the Saints came apart and were swept by the Brantford Blast
Brantford Blast
Brantford Blast are a Canadian senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association's Allan Cup Hockey, from Brantford, Ontario. The team was established in 2000, and play their games at the Brantford Civic Centre.-Competitive hockey back in Brantford:...
4-games-to-none.
The 2007-08 Season had them again as the only collegiate team in the MLH. With a record of 16 wins, 12 losses, and 2 ties, the Saints were in the hunt for a second regular season crown, but fell short finishing in a close third place. Their first round opponents in the league semi-finals were the Brantford Blast
Brantford Blast
Brantford Blast are a Canadian senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association's Allan Cup Hockey, from Brantford, Ontario. The team was established in 2000, and play their games at the Brantford Civic Centre.-Competitive hockey back in Brantford:...
. Brantford had stacked their line up with former NHLers at the end of the season, including Brent Gretzky
Brent Gretzky
Brent Gretzky is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player, and the brother of Wayne and Keith Gretzky. He briefly played in the National Hockey League for the Tampa Bay Lightning....
, in preparation to host the 100th Allan Cup
Allan Cup
The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men’s ice hockey champions of Canada. It has been competed for since 1909. The current champion is the Clarenville Caribous hockey club of Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:...
this year. Despite the Saints badly outshooting the Blast in every game of the series, the Saints were defeated 4-games-to-none.
On April 21, 2008, it was announced through the Windsor Star
Windsor Star
The Windsor Star is the regional newspaper of Windsor, Ontario , and is owned by the Postmedia Network Inc. Since 1923, the publication's main office is located at 167 Ferry Street in the downtown area...
that the Saints were to cease operations. As the only college team in the league, the Saints felt the MLH was not a good fit. The Saints operated through signing students from their college to play, while other teams could trade and pursue free agents. The Saints may eventually apply for entry into the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
. http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=94ac36b7-0612-4a09-af82-112818d0117e
Season-by-season standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, SOL = Shootout Loses*, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | P | Results | ||
| 1967-68 | Statistics Not Available | ||||||||||
| 1968-69 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
| 46 | 19 | 13 | 2nd OCAA-W | ||||||||
| 1969-70 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
| 47 | 27 | 13 | 2nd OCAA-W | ||||||||
| 1970-71 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 | |||||||
| 84 | 60 | 17 | 2nd OCAA-S | ||||||||
| 1971-72 | 20 | 18 | 2 | 0 | |||||||
| 151 | 57 | 36 | 1st OCAA-S | ||||||||
| 1972-73 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 0 | |||||||
| 137 | 48 | 28 | 1st OCAA-W | ||||||||
| 1973-74 | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0 | |||||||
| 113 | 57 | 28 | 1st OCAA-W | ||||||||
| 1974-75 | 19 | 17 | 2 | 0 | |||||||
| 181 | 67 | 34 | 1st OCAA-W | ||||||||
| 1975-76 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| 206 | 45 | 40 | 1st OCAA-W | ||||||||
| 1976-77 | 17 | 13 | 1 | 3 | |||||||
| 149 | 49 | 29 | 2nd OCAA | ||||||||
| 1977-78 | 20 | 17 | 3 | 0 | |||||||
| 123 | 64 | 34 | 1st OCAA | ||||||||
| 1978-79 | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | |||||||
| 147 | 45 | 30 | 1st OCAA | ||||||||
| 1979-80 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | |||||||
| 106 | 65 | 26 | 1st OCAA | ||||||||
| 1980-81 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 0 | |||||||
| 112 | 72 | 26 | 2nd OCAA | ||||||||
| 1981-82 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | |||||||
| 87 | 92 | 14 | 3rd OCAA | ||||||||
| 1982-83 | 24 | 11 | 13 | 0 | |||||||
| 110 | 112 | 22 | 5th OCAA | ||||||||
| 1983-84 | 24 | 13 | 10 | 1 | |||||||
| 130 | 115 | 27 | T-2nd OCAA | ||||||||
| 1984-85 | 26 | 15 | 11 | 0 | |||||||
| 153 | 124 | 30 | 3rd OCAA | ||||||||
| 1985-86 | 24 | 10 | 13 | 1 | |||||||
| 121 | 146 | 21 | 4th OCAA | ||||||||
| 1986-01 | Did Not Participate | ||||||||||
| 2001-02 | 13 | 11 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| 23 | 1st OCAA | ||||||||||
| 2002-03 | 15 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 94 | 28 | 27 | 1st OCAA | ||
| 2003-04 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 115 | 42 | 26 | 1st OCAA | ||
| 2004-06 | Played Independent Schedule | ||||||||||
| 2006-07 | 30 | 19 | 10 | ||||||||
| 1 | 154 | 116 | 39 | 1st MLH | |||||||
| 2007-08 | 30 | 16 | 12 | ||||||||
| 2 | 122 | 103 | 34 | 3rd MLH | |||||||
Playoffs
- 2002 Won League
- St. Clair Saints defeated Conestoga ConcordsConestoga CollegeThe Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning is a public college based in Kitchener, Ontario in Canada.-History:The College was founded in 1967 as the Conestoga College of Applied Arts and Technology, one of many such institutions established in that time by the Ontario...
in semi-final - St. Clair Saints defeated Humber HawksHumber CollegeHumber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning is a polytechnic college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Humber offers more than 150 programs including: bachelor’s degree, diploma, certificate, post-graduate certificate and apprenticeship programs, across 40 fields of study. Humber serves...
in final- 2003 Won League
- St. Clair Saints defeated Conestoga ConcordsConestoga CollegeThe Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning is a public college based in Kitchener, Ontario in Canada.-History:The College was founded in 1967 as the Conestoga College of Applied Arts and Technology, one of many such institutions established in that time by the Ontario...
in semi-final - St. Clair Saints defeated Humber HawksHumber CollegeHumber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning is a polytechnic college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Humber offers more than 150 programs including: bachelor’s degree, diploma, certificate, post-graduate certificate and apprenticeship programs, across 40 fields of study. Humber serves...
in final- 2004 Lost final
- St. Clair Saints defeated Sir Sandford Fleming Knights 2-games-to-1 in semi-final
- Humber HawksHumber CollegeHumber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning is a polytechnic college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Humber offers more than 150 programs including: bachelor’s degree, diploma, certificate, post-graduate certificate and apprenticeship programs, across 40 fields of study. Humber serves...
defeated St. Clair Saints 2-games-to-none in final- 2007 Lost final
- Windsor St. Clair Saints defeated Tillsonburg VipersTillsonburg VipersThe Tillsonburg Thunder are a Senior ice hockey team based in Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League.-History:...
4-games-to-2 in semi-final - Brantford BlastBrantford BlastBrantford Blast are a Canadian senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association's Allan Cup Hockey, from Brantford, Ontario. The team was established in 2000, and play their games at the Brantford Civic Centre.-Competitive hockey back in Brantford:...
defeated Windsor St. Clair Saints 4-games-to-none in final- 2008 Lost Semi-final
- Brantford BlastBrantford BlastBrantford Blast are a Canadian senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association's Allan Cup Hockey, from Brantford, Ontario. The team was established in 2000, and play their games at the Brantford Civic Centre.-Competitive hockey back in Brantford:...
defeated Windsor St. Clair Saints 4-games-to-none in semi-final